Chapter 18: Mastering the Changes in the Nature of Water Chakra
The moment Mugetsu announced the start of the match, Obito quickly retreated while forming hand seals, casting ninjutsu as he backed away.
He knew full well that Might Guy excelled in taijutsu. There was no chance he'd confront him head-on.
"Clone Technique!"
Poof! Poof!
Two identical clones appeared at his side. The three Obitos began switching positions rapidly, weaving and crossing paths to confuse Might Guy.
"Leaf Whirlwind!"
But Might Guy's speed was faster than Obito expected. In an instant, he closed the distance. A spinning whirlwind kick burst forward—shattering both clones—and sent the real Obito flying backward over a meter.
"Such strength…"
Obito's arm trembled slightly. He had taken the kick with his forearm, and now it pulsed with pain.
Might Guy didn't let up. He charged again, forcing Obito into a relentless close-combat exchange.
But Obito couldn't keep up. In pure taijutsu, he was no match—and he quickly fell into a disadvantage.
---
"Who do you think will win?" The students watching began discussing the final match.
"Might Guy, definitely. Obito's already being overwhelmed," one student said, analyzing the situation.
"Not so fast," another argued. "Obito fell behind against Tekka too, but he turned it around with Fire Release."
There were still a few who believed Obito hadn't revealed his full strength. After all, he had defeated the former class champion.
"Teacher, who do you think will win?" Sugito turned and asked.
"Might Guy," Mugetsu replied after a short pause.
"Agreed. Even though Obito has strong Fire Release, this exam venue doesn't favor him," Sugito nodded.
Mugetsu knew that both were evenly matched in overall strength. But Obito was like a turret-type fighter—deadly at range, limited up close, and needing time to cast.
And Might Guy? A high-speed, close-range warrior. On flat, open terrain, the advantage was his.
Sure enough, Obito left a gap in his defense. Might Guy caught it in an instant—another Leaf Whirlwind landed cleanly, launching Obito across the field.
"Might Guy wins," Mugetsu announced.
The student who had placed their bet on Obito sighed and covered their face.
When you expected him to lose, he won. When you thought he'd win, he lost.
Classic Obito.
---
"Might Guy, you're amazing! How do you train like that?" A classmate ran up to him after the match.
"How do I train?" Guy thought for a moment, then answered seriously,
"I probably wake up at 5:30 AM and run around Konoha until class. Then I practice taijutsu with a dummy all night. And on weekends—"
"Okay, goodbye!"
The student backed away immediately after hearing the 5:30 part, overwhelmed by admiration—and exhaustion by proxy.
He doubted even Chūnin trained like that daily.
---
"Obito, are you alright?" Rin hurried over with concern.
Obito brushed the dust off his clothes and grinned.
"Of course I'm fine! I just barely lost this time. I'll definitely win next time!"
Even if he was hurting, he couldn't let it show in front of the girl he liked.
But Rin wasn't buying it. She grabbed his arm and rolled up his sleeve.
Bruises. Several.
She glared.
"Acting tough doesn't help. These won't heal just because you pretend they're not there. Go to the infirmary—now."
She didn't give him a chance to object. She simply dragged him toward the infirmary.
Obito kept insisting he was fine, but he didn't resist.
His mouth said "no," but his body said "yes."
---
The second day of the class practical exam ended with Might Guy's victory.
Tomorrow, the top two students from each class would battle for the title of best in the entire grade.
After the exam, Might Guy went to thank Mugetsu and say goodbye. He wanted to go home and tell his father, Maito Dai, the good news.
He could already picture his dad bursting into tears of joy, shouting about youth.
But Mugetsu didn't let him leave just yet.
He brought Might Guy to a quiet spot behind the training field and smiled.
"Might Guy, congratulations on taking first place."
With that, he took out a small, neatly bound booklet and handed it to him.
"This is a taijutsu training manual I wrote in my spare time. It also contains some of my ideas for evolving the Leaf Whirlwind. Think of it as a reward for finishing first in the class."
Guy accepted the manual. But as he reached for it, he noticed something—Mugetsu's hand.
It looked clean… but under the light, faint gray ink stains remained.
Ink that had clearly been scrubbed repeatedly, but never fully came off.
Then he opened the booklet.
One glance at the contents—and he understood.
This wasn't written casually. It had been carefully crafted, likely with him in mind. Even if he hadn't placed first, Mugetsu probably would've found another excuse to give it to him.
The content inside—the ideas for evolving Leaf Whirlwind—felt tailor-made. And Guy knew something like this couldn't be written in just a spare moment.
"Teacher Mugetsu, I won't let your efforts go to waste!" Guy's eyes brimmed with emotion. "I'll become the strongest taijutsu ninja in the world!"
Mugetsu chuckled and pulled out a tissue, wiping away Guy's tears. He patted him on the shoulder and said:
"That's all I ask. A disciple growing stronger… that's the best reward a teacher can get."
His expression was calm, but sincere.
"Mhm!" Might Guy nodded firmly. His conviction burned brighter than ever.
As Guy walked away with the manual, Mugetsu opened his system interface. A notification flashed across his vision—and a smile tugged at his lips.
---
[You gifted your disciple a taijutsu training manual. Due to your disciple's immense gratitude, the reward received a huge critical hit: Water Release Chakra Nature Transformation Mastery obtained.]
[Disciple Might Guy's trust level has increased. Current Trust Level: Three]
---
"Nice," Mugetsu muttered, feeling the fresh flow of water chakra swirl into his mind.
Most of the time, system rewards were linked to the disciple's specialty. Shisui and Obito often yielded Fire Release. Guy usually returned taijutsu-related gains.
But there were exceptions. And this one?
Water Release Nature Transformation Mastery.
Compared to just improving taijutsu proficiency, this was an incredible reward. If he gathered enough of these elemental gifts, maybe he could even develop a Kekkei Genkai in the future.
As for the trust level increase—that was just a bonus.
Mugetsu realized something: high-quality items needed the right timing and emotional setup.
If he had handed the manual over casually, the return would've been small—maybe a decent jutsu or some taijutsu experience.
But giving it to Guy after he won, letting him see the ink stains on his hands, then delivering a heartfelt moment of encouragement…
It struck Guy's emotions at their peak.
The pride of taking first place made him think, Would I have made it this far without Mugetsu?
Then he saw the ink—the quiet evidence of effort—and imagined Mugetsu staying up late, writing it all out for his sake.
By the time Mugetsu gave his final words of encouragement, Guy's emotions had already boiled over.
Perfect timing. Maximum emotional response. Maximum return.
---
"After tomorrow's exam," Mugetsu thought, "the full results should be out in a couple of days."
He couldn't help but wonder—
If the students performed this well… would the system reward the teacher too?
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